Typewriting machine



April 1 1924.

E. B. HESS TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12. 1921 Patented Apn l, W2 1i.

man STATESP'ATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD B. HESS, OF MANHATTAN B EACH, NEW YORK, N. Y.,- ASSIGN'OR TO ROYAL TYPEWRITER COMPANY, INC., 015 NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

Application filed October 12, 1921. Serial No. 507,177.

To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, EDWARD B. Ilnss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manhattan Beach, in the county of Kings,

New York,

and State of New York,

have inuseful Improvements of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to typewriting machines of the front strike, visible type, in which the type-bar segment 13 arranged obliquely or at an angle to the horizontal plane of the key levers and the is mounted in a ca lowered obliquely constructions are platen rriage which is raised and for case printing. Such well adapted for use in small portable machines where the platen is held well downtoward the base of the machine and the type-bars are held in fan'- shape below the line of vision. In such machines as heretofore constructed, when the keys are operated quickly to the pri the type-bars are moved nting'point on the platen which is behind a verticalplane, passing through the pivots of the type-bars and above a horizontal axis of the platen.

plane passing through the Ordinarily the type-bars are moved from their positions of rest with accelerated speed to the platen and r sharply and in such considerable noise.

strike it manner as to produce The object of the present invention is to as far as possible reduce this noise and I a ccomplish this by a novel construction of type action which is similar,

broadly considered, to

that shown in my U. S..Patent No. 1,390,708, of September 13,

1921, but by means of which atent are which the type-ba it involves certain novel features the broad features of said best adapted to a machine in r segment and the platen carriage are arranged obliquely.

In carrying out my invention and. applying it to a machine in which the segment and the carriage are pivotally connect arranged obliquely, I

the type-bars to theoblique segment and support their outer .or

front ends in such wardly. The key levers manner that they norrest, are inclined slightly ends upwardly and forare horizontally arranged and they are connected to the typebars by links and levers which are such that when a key is depressed to its full extent the assocated type-bar is moved to aposition considerably in a dvance of the platen, at

points between which time the connections between the typeduring its excursion toward the platen, it

is carried by its momentum to the printingpoint beyond the platen. By reason of this operation the noise produced by the impact of the type-bar on the platen is materially reduced. These connections between the key levers and the type-bars comprise two-armed or bell-crank levers which are mounted over the key levers and between their opposite ends. One arm; of each lever'is link-connected to an associated key lever and the other arm is link-connected to the heel of an associated type-bar. When a key is depressed to its full extent, the associated twoarmed lever is moved to a position in which the pivot points between its link, the key lever and reaches a dead-center or toggle-locking position so that the key lever cannot further descend and the type-bar reaches a position considerably in advance of the platen above the pivot of the type-bar but, owing to the momentum of the type-bar it is carried to the platen in such manner as to reduce noise as before explained. During this operation also, when a key is fully depressed-the pivot the two-armed lever, the link, the type-bar and the pivot of the type-bar assume a dead-center position, but this position is changed when the type-bar moves by the axis about which it turns its momentum to the platen. By reason of Y these connect-ions which assume dead-center or toggle-locking positions a noise-reducing type action for an oblique machine is obtained, which experience has demonstrated operates most efficiently.

The escapement mechanism for the carriage, which is of the same general construction as that used in the Royal standard machine, is so modified as to operate more efiiciently in connection with the noise-reducing type action of the kind hereinbefore specified. According to my present invention the universal bar is mounted below the pivots of the type-bars and is connected with the type-bars or the pull links thereof by other links which are of such construction that they operate to move the universal bar momentum period thereof. bar is link-connected to a with the escapement rocker that the rocker is operated termed the The universal lever associated in such manner after the lever tent, so that the escapelnent mechanism is type-bars or just as actuated during the momentum period of the i .the type strike the platen and thus double impressions or blurring ofthe print is prevented.

- In the accompanying drawings,

. vices employed-for connecting the universal bar with the escapement. Fig. 2 shows the position of the parts at the time that thetype-bar strikes the platen.

a type-bar guide. the segment C is 1 end e in a frame clined. The shift lowering the carriage obliquely.

ate mechanism for this purpose is shown in my application for patent filed ,A portion of a t' pewriter carriage is indicated at A' and 1% indicates a platen. A type-bar segment is indicated at C, a key lever at D and a type-bar at E.. E

It will be observed that arranged obliquely. or at an angle to the horizontal plane of the typebars. Eachkey F. It is held'normally in a horizontal position by a spring f and its upward movement is limited by a cushioned stop d. Each type-bar is pivoted at etc the segment C and its type-carrying end normally rests on a cushioned stop G.

It will be observed that the type-bar seg- .ment is inclined rearwardly and upwardly from its lower end and that the typewriter carriage ,is correspondingly obliquely inrail H may be connected mechanism for raising and with any suitable Appropri- May 27, 1921, No. 473,164. The escapement mechanism J is'also obliquely inclined and is raised and lowered .with the carriage in the manner shown in said application of May 27, 1921.

It will be observed thatthe front face of the platen is located in a plane considerably inrear of a vertical plane passing'through the pivots of the type-bars and it is there fore necessary to so construct the type action as to carry the type-bar beyond the vertical plane of the pivots. Heretofore this has been done by a direct continuous action of the key levers, but by my present improvements a full depression of a key lever moves the associated type bar only to a position considerably in advance of the platen, the further movement of the type-bar to the platen being caused by the momentum thereof. As shown in Fig. 1 by dotted lines at X,

has been moved to some ex-- partly in side elevation, of a portion of a indicates lever is pivoted atits rear' face of the type is in substantially the pivot of the typeemploy a series of two-armedlevers K, in-

dividually pivoted to a rod L, mounted in the front part'of the machine frame above the key levers. The lower forwardly extendingarm of each lever is connectedby a link M with a key lever. Each link M has its ends pivotally connected with'a lever Kand 'akey lever D, and'each link extends downwardly and rearwardly from a leverv K to a key lever beneath it. The upper and shorter arm of each lever K isv connected by a link N with the heel of a type-bar, the connection between the link and the two-armed lever and the type-bar being pivotal freedom of movement. -It will be observed that the point of connection between the rear end of the link N and the associated type bar is below and slightly in" advance of thepivot of the type-bar and that "normally the link is moved from its 'rear end upwards and forwards. When a key is depressed to its fullextent the parts move from the position shown by-full lines in Fig. 1 to those shown by dotted lines,

the type-bar being in the position indicated at X. At this time .the point m of connection between the link downwardly M and the leveIyK is moved and rearwardly until it comes into a direct line with the axis of the rod L and the point of connection m between the link and the key lever. This is a dead-center or togglelocking position. Therei no further depression of the key lever and the type-bar is not moved further toward the platen by the key but the'type-bar is carried from this dead-center or toggle-locking position to the platen, as indicated at Y, by its momentum. During this momentum movesupward to a slight extent and the toggle lock is broken, the point we moving forward and not rearwards, asbefore. Dur-- ing. this operation also the upper short arm of the lever K moves forward and pull the link N forwards in such a manner as to raise the type-bar to the position indicated at X and when the type-bar reaches this position the point a where the link connects with the type-bar moves to the position shown at z, which-is in a direct line with the pivot of the type-bar and the point a, where the link N connects with the lever K. This is also a dead-center or toggle-locking position, but is broken by the momentum of the typebar as it moves from X to Y, the link then moving to the position indicated at 2'. In this way I have provided means for reducing indicate the im-- the bar is carried by period the key lever an associated key to a position in which i so as to give the pull links N of the type-b'ars.

noise in a machine where the platen is arranged in a low horizontal plane and is moved obliquely with its carriage when shifted.

In connection with improvements hereinhefore explained, I provide novel mechanism for operating the escapement. A universal bar is indicated at 0. It comprises arms 0, carried by a rod and connected by a rod 1, which is oper'ativel related with a series of links Q, extending from There one such link Q for each such type-bar is connected at its lower end by a link 'T is drawn rearwards by a and each link is pivotally connected witha clip or pendant g on the link N near its rear end. Each link Q, extends downwardly and rearwardly from the associated link N and is provided with a loop 9', through which the rod P extends, the arrangement being such that when a type-bar is raised and moved forwards the universal bar is not at first moved but as soon as the typehar reaches the momentum period indicated at X thelink Q engages the rod and the universal bar is operated while the type-bar is approaching the platen. Each type-bar is returned to normal position and held on its rest against vibration by a. spring R.

The escapement mechanism is in general similar to that used in the standard Royal machine and it is also similar to that shown in my application of May 27, 1921, above referred to, but it will be observed that the rocker-plate j, which carries the feed pawls, is pulled forward by a spring S and a lever T is provided which is pivotally mounted at t on the escapement frame ant with the upper rearend of the arm 0 of the universal bar. The lower end of the lever spring V, con

nected at '1 to a support W and at 'v to the lever.

When the lever T is drawn forward it first moves without operating the escapement, but then strikes the adjustment screw on the rocker and the pawls are released. \Vhen the lever is released its rearward movement is limited by a stop t, which strikes the frame at 73 The link U and the springV are so arranged and connected that the relation of the parts is preserved when the carriage is shifted and they operate in the same way and at the same time during both upper and lower case printing. The links Q, are obliquely arranged, i. e., they extend downwardly and rearwardly from the rear ends of the pull links N, being. preferably arranged at an angle of about 45. When the type-bars are raised to the position shown in Fig. 2, i. e., to the position where they strike the platen. the obliquity of the links is changed and they are more nearly vertical, the rod P being moved from 9,

"otherwise be required.

lever with the key lever, 1 link connecting the two-armed lever with position in rear of the vertical plane of the type-bar pivots forwardly but to a position still lying in the rear of said plane so that when the impression has been made a direct pull is imparted by the type-bars which causes them to be returned easily to normal position. When the type-bars are being pulled back the links N are turned about the points a by the links Q, which are connected to the remote rear ends of the links H so that a long leverage is provided which facilitates the operation. I have found. that by employing the constructions just described the springs f for returning the key levers to normal position may, if desired, be omitted, or be made much weaker or smaller than would As before stated, the connections between the lever T and universal bar are such that the mechanism operates in the same way when the carriage is the universal bar .on

shifted for either upper or lower case .prlnting. In Fig; 1 dotted lines indicate thepositions of the springs V and the links U when shifted for upper case printing. While the links Q are preferably connected to the pull links N in the manner shown, good results may be obtained by connecting said links with the type-bars in other ways.

I claim;

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination with the platen of a pivotally mounted type bar. a key lever, a two-armed lever interposed between the type bar and the key lever, a link connecting the two-armed and another U the type bar at the point below and in' advance of the type bar pivot, a full depression of the key lever moving the connections to a position in which the link connected to the type bar line with the type bar pivot and the type bar occupies a vertical position from which it moves to the platen by momentum alone.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combina-. with the platen of a pivotally mounted type lies in a straight bar, a key lever, a two-armed lever interposed between the type bar and the key lever, a link connecting the two-armed lever with the key lever, and another link connecting the two-armed lever with the type bar at a point below and in advance of the type bar pivot, a full depression of the key lever moving the connections to a position in which the link connected to the type bar lies in a straight line with the type bar pivot and the link connected to the key lever lies in a straightline with the pivot of the two-armed lever, while the type bar occupies a vertical position from which it moves to the platen by momentum alone.

3. In a typewriting machine the combination. with the platen of a pivotally mounted type bar, a key lever, a two-armed lever inpressed the link point behind the vertical 'bar pivots.

the type bar reaches a verticalposition considerably in advance of the ilaten, the further movement of the type ar to the platen being caused by its momentum which carries it rearwardlyto the printing plane of the type 4. In a typewriting machine the combination with the platen of a pivotally mounted type bar, a key lever, a two-armed lever 'interposed between the type bar and the key lever, a link connecting the two-armed lever with the key. lever which is inclined rearwardly and downwardly from its upper end, and a link connecting the other arm of the two-armed lever with the heel of the type bar below its pivot, the connections being movable to such an extent that when the key is fully depressed the link connec tions between the two-armed lever and the type bar and between the two-armed lever and the key lever assume a deadcenter .or togglelocking position when the type bar reaches position considerably in advance of the platen, the further movement of the type bar to the platen being caused by its momentum which carries it rearwardly to the printing point behind the vertical plane of the type bar pivots.

5. In a t-ypewriting machine the combination with the key levers, the type bars and connections therebetween, of escapement subscribed my name.

mechanism, a universal bar mounted below the type bar pivots, links inclined forwardly and upwardly from their lower ends and operatively connected with, the type bars, a

lever operatively connected with the escapement mechanism, and a link'connection between said lever andthe universal bar which is inclined forwardly and upwardly from its rear end.

6. In a typewriting machine the combination with the key levers, the type bars'and connections therebetween, of a universal bar mounted below the type bar pivots, links extending forwardly and upwardly from the universal bar to the type bars and equipped with means for providing lost motion, a lever operatively connected with the escapement mechanism, and a link connected with said leverinclined forwardly and'upwardly therefrom and connected at its front end with the-universal bar.

7. In a ty pewriting-machine the combination of an obliquely-arranged segment, an

obliquely-arranged platen carriage, type bars pivotally connected with the segment,

key levers operatively connected with the type bars, escapement mechanism, a universal bar located below the pivots of the type bars, links connected with the type bars extending downwardly and rearwardly therefrom and joined with the universal bar by lost motion connections, a lever associated with the escapement, a link connecting said lever with the universal bar which when the universal bar is operated moves without operatingthe escapement mechanism-but thereafter actuates said mechanism, and

means for returning said lever and parts connected therewith to normal position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto I EDWARD B. HESS 

